A Warren County man has admitted to sharing child sexual abuse material online. Donald Carl Held, 50, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography. He confessed to sharing images with an undercover investigator from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), claiming they depicted a 15-year-old girl with whom he was allegedly involved sexually.
The investigation, conducted by HSI and the St. Charles County Police Department, led to a court-approved search of Held’s residence on March 4, 2024. Authorities recovered electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Held acknowledged distributing CSAM almost daily through the messaging app Teleguard and admitted lying about his involvement with the teen.
Held’s cellphone held over 1,000 images and videos of CSAM, while his accounts on Teleguard and Telegram revealed extensive communication with others involving the exchange and promotion of CSAM. He also provided advice on evading law enforcement detection.
Scheduled for sentencing on October 27, each charge against Held carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is handling the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.
